30.6.3585
Since there was no walkway awaiting us when we touched down on the landing pad, we were forced to squeeze through the access shaft and into the cargo bay – which was a first for both of us. It was about what I expected. A large, spacious room filled with hundreds of small colour-coded crates that contained everything we needed. The most interesting part was how Rhea accessed them via a rail and claw system that ran across a metal rig on the ceiling.
We weren't here to inspect that though. I double-checked that both Sumeragi and myself were bundled up tight in as many waterproof layers as we could get our hands on and ordered her to drop the rear ramp. The gust of wind that flew through the open door almost knocked me off my feet. The gust was so powerful that the rain was projected vertically into my face. We were soaked almost immediately.
"Christ above that's windy!" I yelled hopelessly into the void.
We hobbled our way down onto the landing area and studied our surroundings. A few large buildings peered through the mist with red lights blinking at regular intervals. The landing area was huge, more than enough to hold several dozen ships twice our size. That must be why the parking was free. They couldn't give these spots away. A few other vessels were moored nearby, all of them dwarfing our ramshackle shuttle in terms of size and utility.
Nobody else was stupid enough to go outside in this weather unless they had to, so we had a lonesome walk to the nearest piece of solid cover. Some one and two-story buildings were lining a road nearby, with a transparent roof placed overhead so that people could walk between them without being blasted by the rain. The buildings were built to robustly push back against the harsh climate, with thick windows and heavy outside cladding to insulate the heat inside.
The first building we found that was open beckoned like a siren's call. I pushed my way through the door and held it open for Sumeragi, who hurried in from behind. A let out an exclamation of relief as I pulled the hood down on my poncho. "We didn't have weather like this in England," I grunted.
Sumeragi let out a ghost of a laugh and opened the interior door. The room beyond was clearly a bar. There was a long, wooden front with glasses of alcohol stacked on the shelves behind, and several stools and tables placed around the floor. Despite the welcoming atmosphere and the pleasant warmth of the climate control, there was only one patron sitting at the bar. An older man in a ten-gallon hat nursing a small cup of orange whiskey.
Didn't expect to meet a space cowboy today…
We hung up the outer layers of our outfits onto a nearby coat rack and approached the bar. There was no sign of the bar's proprietor for the time being, but the cowboy swivelled in his chair to take his measure of the two strangers who wandered into town.
"Nice to see some fresh faces around these parts. I saw your ship coming down, Are you looking for water? We've got plenty of it!"
"You saw us landing?"
He pointed to a television screen mounted above one of the tables, which was currently trained on a mostly obscured shot of the landing pad. It was almost impossible to see the Pariah through the heavy rain.
"The fella' who runs this place is a ship enthusiast. He has some cameras pointed that way and a system that switches to 'em when there's a signal coming down requesting a patch."
Now that he mentioned it, the entire bar was decorated to express the owner's love of spaceships. There were paintings of them on the walls, models tucked onto every available surface, and a collection of space-nautical items used to enhance the presentation.
"And he isn't here right now? I could use a drink," Sumeragi said.
The stranger shook his head, "Afraid not. He'll be back in a few, got some business to take care of in the back. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. We don't get many visitors these days. The boss might even give you a free drink – the couple's special."
Sumeragi's cheeks turned red and it wasn't from the cold, "Ah. We're not married." The look on Sumeragi's face told me that she wished it was the case.
"She's my deputy," I clarified.
"I'm Sumeragi."
"Lewis."
He smiled and tipped his hat, "Adrian, nice to meet you."
I sat next to Sumeragi by the bar and tried to absorb as much of the warmth from the climate control as possible. It was a different kind of welcome from what I was anticipating. There was no immigration office or line to check your passport, but asking about how basic things like that worked was liable to make him think I was some kind of idiot, and they weren't documented in Rhea's archives since it was common knowledge. Rhea was going to take in all of the data she could find to update her knowledge base and fill in the gaps.
Given that humanity had progressed into space and colonised other planets, keeping track of where you came from was probably too messy of a topic for anyone to bother with. The world I came from was already struggling to adjust to a reality where cheap and easy transport meant people could be anywhere they wanted fairly easily.
"I ain't ever seen the type of ship that you rode in on, keep an eye out for Will, he'll want to know everything about it when he comes back."
"It's not that interesting," I lied.
"For a ship obsessive like him – it doesn't matter. That guy knows the spec numbers of every ship and part from here to Earth. He's a walking encyclopaedia."
"Neither of us are that well-versed, so I don't see how I could offer him anything he hasn't heard before."
He barked out a harsh laugh, "That's what I keep saying, but he loves repeating himself."
"We came down here looking for some work. Not that we have the gear for it."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. That solid fuel tanker might be productive for you. You'd be surprised at how many folks need fluids transported but can't afford to spend big on one of those huge freighters. On a planet like this, it can be hard to move things over land, so you don't have any good choices."
"Hm, well it is empty at the moment."
"Make hay while the sun shines buddy. You'd think that on a planet like this, we wouldn't need so much clean water moved around, but that's how it is."
Sumeragi reached into her pocket and placed a handful of bills onto the bar. They looked like regular old US dollars – though the material they were made from was more modern than the usual sort that I was familiar with. There was even a portrait of Barrack Obama on one of them, I guess he still existed in this universe.
"Are you sure that's even legal tender here?" I asked.
Adrian leaned over and took a closer look at them, "They should be fine, everybody accepts US dollars and it doesn't matter where you go. Where the hell you found bills that old is another matter. They might be more valuable to a collector than the likes of us."
"I found them in one of the rooms," Sumeragi revealed, "It was tucked behind one of the old mattresses. It isn't much – hopefully it can buy us a drink."
I didn't realise she'd been fishing down the side of the couch for money. My own inspection of the ship wasn't as diligent or well considered versus hers. Sumeragi knew all the tricks of the trade, including where crew members liked to hide their contraband or personal items. The lockers were filled with them; images stuck to the doors and various items of unknown purpose, but it was too depressing to consider the fact that all of them perished before I arrived.
Sumeragi was already eyeing some of the spirits stored on the shelf in front of us. She'd said that she was thirty-three years old, which meant she 'died' during the events of A Wakening of the Trailblazer. At that point in the timeline she had moved on from the death of her previous lover somewhat and had gotten her drinking under control. I hoped I wouldn't have to worry about her falling off the wagon given recent events in her life. Big changes could lead to regression.
"I may have to take a recommendation on what the best drink is," she muttered.
"They're all good! Will only stocks the best drinks he can get his hands on. It's a pretty impressive collection since we're in the boonies."
"We don't know much about the area," I revealed.
"Not a lot of people do. Ecclestone is about as far as you can get from the Earth bubble these days, but we're still a pretty big settlement. There's about two million people living and working here, if you include the good folks who are up on the helium harvesters. That many people demands a lot of infrastructure to support 'em, so there's a big population of professionals here who do everything else."
"Right."
"Aside from the weather, I think it's a great place to live. I am biased, I was born here and I'll probably die here."
That statement really put into perspective just how big the universe was. There were people who lived and died without ever setting foot on Earth, who didn't know the first thing about what it was like. You could spend hundreds of years visiting thousands of places and still not get close to understanding the scope of it all.
My musings were interrupted by the arrival of Will. The door behind the bar burst open and he stumbled through wearing a drenched raincoat. "God above, what the hell is wrong with the weather recently?" he complained. He removed his coat and hung it up on a peg by the door, turning to us with a practised smile.
"You've got some new customers," Adrian commented, tilting his head in our direction.
"I've got a pair of working eyes, I can see them."
Sumeragi pointed to a bottle of whiskey, "Give me a shot of that."
Will took one of the old dollar bills from the bar top and served Sumeragi her sin of choice. Sumeragi quickly downed the shot in one go, her entire body shivering as the taste hit her senses.
"Woah, that is good…"
"A young lady with an eye for quality," Will winked, "That's one of my favourites. They make that stuff all the way back in the Earth's sphere. Well worth the time and effort that it takes to get some bottles.
"Young lady?" Sumeragi said as if she couldn't believe it. She was only thirty-three and, in my eyes, didn't look a day older than I did.
Adrian laughed, "You in your twenties, early thirties? Trust me, you've got a long, long way to go. You'll look back on this in a couple of decades and wonder why you ever thought of it like that."
Will looked to me, "Can I get your fella' something too?"
I didn't drink, but I also didn't want to rain on his parade by refusing his hospitality.
"Ah, just some cider."
"Got it."
A pint glass of the stuff was slid over to me. I took a sip and have to stop myself from pulling a strange face. This was outside of my comfort zone by a serious margin. I didn't party like an animal. I was part of a generation of people that just weren't enthused with drinking until we spat our stomachs out into the nearest toilet. I wasn't going to judge people who did enjoy the nightlife, but I wasn't one of them. It was time for some serious exposure therapy.
Will reached up to a nearby television screen and toggled it on. The first channel it landed on was an American Football match being played somewhere, but he quickly switched it from that to the news. He turned his back and started cleaning up the used glasses by the sink while everyone settled in. A well-dressed woman shuffled through her notes and started speaking on a new item.
"Three-thousand jobs are expected to be lost at the Biofirm Hydroponics Farm, it has been announced today. Biofirm CEO Johnathan Sikes was forced to admit that job cuts were due after a negative earnings call for the company, which revealed fierce competition in the Ecclestone sphere and the increased price of fusion reactors slashed revenues by thirty percent."
Adrian grunted, "What a slime ball. A few of my buddies are having to talk things out with their union reps about this."
"They're private around here?" I inquired.
"Yeah. Ecclestone has a lot of water to go around so private Hydroponics companies decided to use the existing workforce and open up farms around the planet. They focus on the exotic stuff that the government farms won't grow, and charge a big markup for them."
"I guess nobody's buying right now?"
"Money's tight at the moment, and a lot of folks around here who work on the helium harvesters are saving their cash for something bigger. With fusion reactors going up shipping costs are too, so they can't export enough of the stuff to break even."
Will scoffed, "It's a damn circus is what it is. Everything goes up and down and up and down, but the only people who get hurt are the ones on the bottom. I'm sure that Sikes isn't going to take a pay cut in solidarity, that's for damn sure."
The two men continued to needle Sikes for almost ten minutes, griping about everything and anything that he'd done for the past two years in the process. It was the most comprehensive history of the guy that I'd find outside of Rhea's archives once they were updated. I absorbed as much of it as possible in an attempt to blend in with this new world. I grew up in a working-class town so it was easy to understand what they were talking about.
Adrian moved the topic along to something more interesting though, "Hey Will – do you still have a line with the folks who need some fuel moving?"
"Yeah, why?"
"These two have got a solid fuel module ready to go, and I don't think they're interested in signing a big contract to do it either."
Will smiled, "I'll be damned – you two are gonna' make a lot of people happy if you're up for the job. That fusion reactor issue is driving people crazy; all the small businesses around here are struggling to get fuel moved from place to place without breaking the bank."
"We are in the market for odd jobs," I grinned, "How does that stuff usually get calculated, anyway?"
"I'm not an expert, but the companies that move fuel have to cover the staff hours, ship maintenance and leave some on top for the shareholders or expansion. If a fusion reactor has a fault, it costs a lot of money to replace so prices have been shooting up. A lot of them have started demanding regular contracts from them too. You can't just hire them when you need them, even if you don't have enough fuel to send over they'll still charge you for the time."
"Yep. Smaller farms and businesses are getting priced out, and with demand for fusion reactors being like it is right now they have to stick with solid fuel. Ecclestone's just lucky that it has a lot of oil around to refine," Adrian added.
"Listen, you can charge those guys an arm and a leg – and it'll still be cheaper than signing one of those contracts. Just keep it on the down low and the Feds won't know a thing."
"The Feds?" I repeated.
"They come up with all kinds of stupid rules that people have to follow, because those big hauling companies keep lobbying them to pull the ladder up to stifle competition. It's not just basic health and safety stuff, but ship specifications that nobody can get their hands on, staff training and numbers, and a bunch of different permits and permissions you need to fly with fuel in the tank. Stupid right? You can fly around with all the solid fuel you want normally, but as soon as you're carrying it for someone else you need six months of expensive training and permission from your Mother."
I laughed, "I'm afraid I can't ask her for anything at the moment."
"Obviously, if you want to run a bigger business with other ships you're gonna' need to put your name down in the business registry and pay some taxes; but doing a few runs for cash payment isn't going to get noticed."
"Sounds good to me."
"I'll tell some of my pals to give your parking spot a call. Hash out the details with them, and maybe earn some easy money."
"Thanks. We're in number fifty-six."
He scribbled the number down onto a piece of paper for later. Sumeragi pulled on my sleeve and motioned towards a booth in the back corner of the bar. I gave Will a friendly nod and followed her to the quieter patch where we could talk about our next move.
"I didn't expect to be running illegal fuel so quickly after arriving," she commented.
"The fuel isn't illegal, moving it is."
The look she gave me was that of a tired housewife.
"That wasn't funny, sorry."
"I'm surprised that people are willing to pay in cash. Even in the time where I came from, most people moved on to digital transfers."
I echoed the sentiment but had an idea as to why; "I bet sending a signal from here to the nearest bank is a serious pain in the arse. Easier to have real, paper money on hand instead of waiting three weeks for a response."
"I didn't think of it like that," she admitted, "But surely they have local banking institutions, even on a remote planet like this? Two million customers can't go unserved."
"Yeah – but what if you're a helium harvesting worker who has to travel a lot? The same problem comes up then as well. The only way to be sure that money is changing hands is to see it happening. Anyway, there's no need to look a gift horse in the mouth. They're offering to pay us some change for a bit of effort. We can get some proper clothes and restock the food stores."
Sumeragi smirked, "I'm not above breaking the rules, remember?"
"You take yourself so seriously that sometimes I do forget. This isn't guerrilla warfare we're on about here. We're just transporting some petrol without permission."
That rhymed – when we registered our new business I could include that as our motto…
"I know how to have fun. It's a harsh reality that a lot of those things need money."
"Hm. Once we're done here, we should go find a beach planet or something. Enjoy a holiday, get out of the ship for a while."
"I don't think Rhea would like that."
"She can come too."
Sumeragi snorted out a laugh and took another drink of her whiskey. She placed it back down on the table with a menacing look, "You want to see me in a bikini, don't you?"
"I wouldn't be a self-respecting bloke if I said no, but that isn't my intention."
Sumeragi wasn't complaining though, "Trust me. I look [I]amazing [/I]in a [URL='https://i.imgur.com/XJ2jaTn.jpg']one-piece[/URL]."
"You'd look amazing in a paper bag. I don't see why that's so special."
What the hell was I doing? I was flirting with her, that's what – something that I always dreaded doing before I showed up in this new universe. Rhea must have injected 100ccs of undeserved confidence into that medical tank while I was asleep. What was even more shocking was that she didn't seem to mind.
"Not convinced? I'll have to show you the real deal. Tell Rhea to find me a swimwear store and a beach when we get back."
The lidded eyes and flushed cheeks made it clear that she was enjoying my compliments.
This woman was going to be the end of me.
-----
Sumeragi was having such a great time in the bar that we extended our stay for almost two hours while the weather calmed down. A few other patrons dropped by for some drinks, sending glances at the beautiful woman sitting next to me out of what I could only guess was intense jealousy. I was pleased to find that Sumeragi was capable of controlling her alcohol intake, choosing to go slowly and enjoy what she could afford instead of going on a binge.
It was the first time where I felt comfortable opening up a little and talking about myself beyond the surface facts about my life. I wasn't a very worldly person, but Sumeragi found my 'past' perspective interesting in its own way. I came from a world without GN drives, orbital solar farms or giant robots. Sumeragi was born into an age where those things were simply taken for granted as facts of life.
Of particular interest was my explanation of the influence that the Middle Eastern nations held over the world economy thanks to their fossil fuel reserves. By Sumeragi's birth, all of those nations will have suffered a total economic collapse as a result of the proliferation of renewable energy.
It wasn't hard to see why. These countries placed all of their eggs into one basket, siphoning away the wealth generated and refusing to diversify their economies for the future. Those few bastions of Governmental stability would not be stable for eternity.
"Even in the past people were still dealing with the same problems, huh?" she mused over her empty glass.
I snorted, "As long as people are still motivated by the same things, they'll never really change, and the same conflicts will start up time and time again."
Her smile was forlorn, "You don't need to tell me. Celestial Being was founded to bring humanity into the next age, one where it would be ready to make first contact with extraterrestrial life. That meant settling old divisions and taking on the entire world as their enemy. But I guess you knew that already."
"Just the gist of it. I'm not going to pretend that my knowledge is anything more than the most entertaining cliff notes turned into a consumable product, even if that is more than you're comfortable with."
Sumeragi shrugged it off, "I know that you aren't being malicious, and there isn't any way for you to use that information while we're in this universe."
"But you don't trust me."
"Trust is a separate issue. You've earned some - so don't worry about that. I assess things based on what could go wrong, even if they aren't likely. That's what they teach us as tactical forecasters."
How much of that trust was 'earned' and how much was programmed into her by Rhea? I tried to put on my best face for Sumeragi, but effort wasn't everything that was needed to earn someone's trust. Personalities could clash and distrust could form just as easily; more so for me given that I was the one who summoned her here. That gave me an ulterior motive.
"I wonder if there are any TV series about me?"
"I thought you said you were boring."
"I am boring - but you never know. Rhea did say that she can access a huge number of alternate universes, so there must be one where I'm a popular fictional character too. They must get some kind of enjoyment out of seeing how mundane I am."
"You're not mundane anymore," Sumeragi replied.
"True. Never expected to be the captain of an intelligent spaceship. It's a big bloody upgrade from disappointing my parents and floating between jobs."
I frowned. They must have been desperate to find me by now - but I assumed there was no evidence of my disappearance. My old life was done with, turning into a face and name presented on the evening news with a handful of tearful appeals from my family. I'd thought about it before and it never failed to make me feel like a dick.
"I know that look – it means you haven't been drinking enough."
"I don't want to become an alcoholic if I can help it. My liver is in perfect condition." One of the few things I could be proud of, and despite the stereotype of every Englishman having bad teeth I'd never once needed any work done on them. On that topic, cleaning your teeth in zero gravity was a serious bitch. I was always concerned about my hygiene.
"I hope that living with me isn't too offensive to your nose," I grumbled, masking my insecurity behind a self-deprecating quip.
"It's not. Even if it was, that's not a problem. I've worked on ships with people who didn't have any concept of personal hygiene, and no number of complaints from their comrades were enough to make them smarten up."
"Cleaning in zero gravity is shit."
There was a shower on board, but it only worked when there was a gravitational pull on the ship. Water didn't flow without gravity. Instead – we were given a wet towel and essentially forced to do things the hard way. We had to clean every inch of ourselves thoroughly under our own power. Keeping liquids away from the open air was less strict thanks to various countermeasures that the ship sported, but that didn't mean they were easy to use. Letting liquid float free in the cabin was still something to be mindful of.
She finished off her drink, "That is true…"
She stared at her empty glass with a forlorn expression. We were fresh out of stolen dollars.
"…Looks like we'll have to wrap up our drinking for the time being," Sumeragi concluded.
"I think this was a fairly productive trip. We've got a line on some work, at least."
We get up from the booth and swung by the bar to say our goodbyes to our new friends. I was assured that we'd get a call in the port's communication line in the coming days from one of our under-the-table employers. Sumeragi responded with a promise to spend some of the money at the bar later. Mercifully the weather had let up a little. It was still showering with rain but the wind was no longer forcing it to move horizontally into our faces.
As soon as we stepped back up onto the ramp and entered the Pariah – Rhea was already asking questions about what we'd gotten up to.
"How was your excursion, Captain?"
"Interesting. Looks like things haven't changed as much as I thought. We've got a line on some work that might involve using the solid fuel module."
"Very good. I'll ensure that the module is flushed and ready to use."
"Is there anything we need to know about loading it?" Sumeragi inquired.
"The system is mostly automated. The details are contained within some of the new material I have downloaded over the internet."
"Ecclestone has internet?" I echoed.
"Yes. Most planets with significant populations have their own internal systems, luckily for us, they also carry a huge amount of data that can be freely accessed, compiled and saved for later. Not only am I now an expert on everything there is to know about Ecclestone, but I've also collated data on other significant events since my downing which have been shared by the mainstream press."
We hoisted the rain-drenched coats from our shoulders and hung them up to dry in the storage bay, before clambering back up the ladder and into the main cabin. Getting out and about from this enclosed space did wonders for my mental well-being. I never appreciated just how good it felt to have some more room to move around in.
Sumeragi followed me into the bridge so we could give Rhea the rundown on our new line of work.
"So, how hard do you think it's going to be to get away with that?" I asked.
Rhea was confident, "The Pariah boasts several systems that are still considered contemporary even now. It will be a trivial matter for us to slip beneath the sensors utilised by the local police and security forces. If they chose to follow us at all."
"What do you mean?"
"According to official statistics published by the Ecclestone Independent Police Conduct Bureau, only five for six illegal shipments are intercepted each year out of thousands – and only one of them was ever brought to court. The defence's insistence that it was for personal use was enough to convince the jury."
"So it's a 'he said she said' kinda' thing?"
"Indeed. The letter of the law is difficult to enforce, so the local police tend to focus on more pressing matters."
Sumeragi nodded, "A law is only as good as the enforcement attributed to it. If a law isn't enforced and there's no punishment for breaking it, it's just a piece of paper."
Rhea had one more thing to share, "Our lack of identification may make prosecution more likely. It would be difficult to argue that the fuel or water is for personal use when we do not have a registered business or residence on Ecclestone. Having researched the current business application rules, we could apply without ID, but the lack of working premises would still pose an issue."
"And if we go ahead and register to move the stuff, we'll get caught up in all kinds of red tape."
"Correct. I could handle that for you, but it would still include a significant waiting period and a written exam to demonstrate your understanding of local regulations."
"Fuck that. I had enough of that shit when I got my driving licence."
Sumeragi was unamused by my flippant attitude, "You should at least make sure to check on how to do it safely. Those types of rules are implemented for a reason."
Sumeragi was experienced with leadership, so she was speaking from a position of experience. People were stupid, I was stupid. If things weren't made painfully clear for the lowest denominator they'd find a way to screw up and set themselves on fire. But from my perspective, it didn't matter how idiot-proof the guidance was, somebody was still going to mess up eventually. On the other hand, I didn't want to be the butt of the jokes. I was just complaining for the sake of it. I was the biggest 'rule follower' you could hope to meet.
I waved my arm in the air; "I'm just being stupid. Get that stuff up for me and I'll give it a read."
Rhea made a new folder on my screen entitled 'Fuel Transfer Docs' and piled them into it for later.
We weren't going to get that call for a while so I had time to read them, but my mind was in the right place for that kind of dry consumption. I'd gotten a light buzz from our time in the bar. I never drank, even with friends, so it was a novel sensation to me. I was part of a generation of people who weren't as interested in alcohol as the one that came before. That trend might have continued into this new future, leaving bars like that as something of a rarity.
"You know, it's interesting to hear the perspective of someone who's lived a 'mundane' life," Sumeragi said.
"I'm not going to argue that I'm not boring, but why do you find me interesting?"
She shuffled around in her chair, "I was always surrounded by people who came from the same place as me. Military backgrounds, always striving to do the right thing, members of the officer corp who were allowed to undergo the tactical forecaster training. When I moved to Celestial Being I was surrounded by amazing pilots and engineers. I was always moving from one thing to the next."
"And I'm just some guy."
"There's a lot of people who don't have 'exciting' lives – they're the majority. But I was surrounded by the extraordinary. Hearing about how things used to be and the way that a normal person interpreted them is interesting."
I laughed it off, "Sure. If you say so."
I couldn't accuse her of not knowing how interesting she found it or being dishonest. If she didn't find my Luddite perspective enthralling, she would have never mentioned it in the first place.
"I'm going to go lay down for a while. Shout me if we get that call."
"Sure."
I left my chair and shimmied through the narrow hallway, taking a quick stop in the bathroom to empty my bladder. After that, I crashed down onto the bunk in my room and closed my eyes. It didn't take long for Rhea to interrupt my rest by speaking with me and closing the door so Sumeragi couldn't listen in.
"Captain, may I give you a status update on the Senior Commander's conditioning? I've been able to construct a new psychological analysis by comparing her previous baseline to her present state."
"Is it important?"
"There is nothing anomalous with her behaviour. I thought that you would be calmer hearing that everything is going smoothly."
"I'd rather hear the facts than have you manage my expectations all the time. If there's one thing I really hate, it's being left out of the loop."
"I will keep it short," Rhea replied, "Senior Commander Noriega is gradually progressing deeper into the program. I have noted an increased interest in you in line with your request to form a harem. This will grow stronger in time. Additionally, she will be open to whatever actions you deem appropriate to advance our mission, including ones that would normally contravene her morals and standards."
"You figured all of that out just from the little conversations we have?" I muttered doubtfully.
"My psychological assessment protocol is extremely refined. I am capable of accurately predicting and measuring the emotional state of my crew members based on a variety of factors, including their expressions, nerve impulses, behavioural patterns, use of language, hormonal releases, dilation of the eyes…"
"I get it. What you're saying is that you're gathering an intrusive amount of information about us and using it in your calculations."
"Correct," she said assuredly without noting the critical tone of my statement, "I have a good picture of how you and the Senior Commander operate under different circumstances. My analysis will become more accurate with time, as I can plot changes and use them to tailor my guardianship."
I didn't realise that Rhea was a social media company.
Another thought occurred to me, "And you don't have any problem with me putting together this hypothetical harem?"
"Whatever you feel is best, Captain. In my own view – it is a justly deserved reward for rescuing me and the ship from that desert."
I rephrased my question, "You won't get jealous?"
"I am not jealous. Not only do I not possess a body by which I can express my feelings in a physical form, but your openness towards non-traditional relationships presents a window of opportunity regardless of how many women are on board the Pariah."
Rhea was dropping a very loaded hint that she wanted a physical body, but I had no idea how to get one for her. Would a robotic shell serve that purpose? Or did she want something more advanced and ethically dubious?
"For the record, there are robotic bodies that may serve that purpose but I feel that a biological one would be better. A robotic drone would not provide extra utility beyond what I already have."
"How could we even transfer your consciousness into a body like that? That sounds like something we can't do with our current facilities."
"It is a fledgling field of research, but the Displacement Core may provide us with the opportunities we seek to advance beyond what is presently viable. I would still be in control of the ship as that is where my 'brain' is housed. At the same time, I would be capable of directing my 'body' and doing as I pleased with it through a remote relay. I have an idea of how we could achieve that. It requires that we improve our medical facilities first and summon something that caught my eye from your notes."
"My notes?"
I caught on quickly.
"I get it. You want to steal a spare body from Rei Ayanami."
The clone kuudere from Evangelion. I'd written her name down as a potential pilot recruit, but I'd also included some information about her background and origins for Rhea's use. It seemed that the clones were what she was focusing on. We could snatch one of them from their resting place, toss it into our own medical bay, and then conduct whatever troubling medical experiments we wanted on it. It was pretty messed up, while also being an intriguing concept.
It did mean that two different Rei's would be running around in the future though. Perhaps Rhea would apply a personal touch to the new body and make them look different. For the time being, I decided to leave any firm plans off the table. It would take us a lot of hard work to get the things we needed to put that plan into action.
"I'll consider it. It all depends on if we manage to put together what we need to do it."
"I am not asking you to modify your plans, Captain. Please prioritise whatever you feel is best."
It was easy for her to say that. In my opinion, we were walking a thin line between endearing ourselves to Rhea and outraging her. She was an unstable AI system installed into the ship, one who had complete control over our lives and safety. It would be incredibly simple to deprive us of oxygen or other essentials to get what she wanted from us. I was willing to accept the risks – but I still wanted to keep a close watch on what she was doing.
"I will leave you to your rest."
The speaker clicked off and I closed my eyes again. As much as I appreciated what Rhea did for me by allowing me to stay here, I did want to have my own privacy from time to time. I'd have to ask her about making some areas off-limits for her surveillance if it was at all possible. My mind soon drifted back to Sumeragi and the way that she was staring at me in the bar. It didn't take a billion-dollar AI to figure out that she was starting to generate romantic feelings towards me.
It was surprising just how effective Rhea's brainwashing really was.
"Too late to worry about it now," I whispered to myself. I drifted off and slept for several hours.
-----
The following day, I was pleased to experience the sensation of my body clock being adjusted by the light coming in from the outside. The ship featured variable lighting that tried to emulate the changing colour temperature of the day and night but you couldn't beat the real thing. Sumeragi was unusually cheerful when I wandered onto the bridge, still half asleep and very much not ready to deal with the day's business.
"Good morning, Lewis."
"Morning," I murmured back.
Sumeragi pointed to the navigation screen, which was displaying a path for us to follow; "We've already gotten a call from one of our new contacts. He says that he wants some fuel transported from here to here. He's offering to pay us three-thousand-two-hundred dollars for the time. It should take us an hour or so."
"That's not bad. More than enough to get some clothes and some drinks."
Rhea chimed in, "It is significantly below the going rate for a professional transport company. Given that we have few expenses, we are capable of undercutting their prices and finding small clients who need the service, who would otherwise be ignored."
To be honest, I wanted to be paid the proper rate for the work – but we weren't able to ask for that from people without proving that we could do the job. This wasn't a specialised fuel-carrying ship either which limited the amount we could transport.
"And what's the risk factor here?"
"Slim to none," Sumeragi explained, "The only people who'll be able to figure out that we're unlicensed are the authorities, and the client has chosen an area known for less savoury behaviour so that we won't attract any attention."
Rhea chimed in; "This is not advice for a criminal action, but the ship can enter silent running – though it will increase the journey time by a significant margin."
I still failed to comprehend the distinction between criminal advice and whatever that was. Rhea already declared that she didn't need no stinking laws made by humans, it must have been hardcoded into her system that she wasn't allowed to do it – regardless of her personal opinion on whether it was justified.
"All we have to do is visit the port, fill up using the solid fuel module, and then transport it over to the factory where they need it. It's difficult to track and craft in flight around here. Once we set off, they won't be able to find us even at a high speed."
I scratched my chin, "And how are we loading it?"
Sumeragi smiled, "Oh, that kind of thing is all done automatically these days. A mechanised drone will hook up the hose and start the flow."
"You're starting to make me feel a little redundant over here," I sighed.
"You are excellent moral support," Sumeragi joked.
I frowned and leaned back in my chair. I wanted to brush it off as nothing more than passing banter, but it did speak to one of my insecurities about being useful to Rhea and Sumeragi. I didn't just want to be the deadbeat who hung around on the bridge and sucked up the air without giving something in return. The problem was that I boasted no experience with any real practical jobs, especially not things that would be applicable in a situation like this.
I swallowed it for the time being, "Alright. Then let's get going, daylight's burning and all."
The ship lurched to life as the engines spooled up and started to draw power from the reactor. I strapped myself into my chair and considered the fantasy that lay before me. Having a full crew of people to lord over from the captain's seat was always an appealing idea. Sumeragi was providing a glimpse into what that would really feel like.
Of course, this was under the provision that they were brainwashed.
Rhea seemed almost excited about it, even more than I was when I first floated the concept to her during my first days on the ship. In her eyes, it was the only appropriate award for the person who essentially saved her from an eternity of hellish isolation in the middle of nowhere. It also brought about another question; were there any laws against doing this?
If the technology of the Pariah was even half as advanced as she claimed, it would beg to reason that such a legislative blind spot would exist. You could program someone to never speak of their conditioning with other people. That would frustrate any attempts to find out the truth, and the documents on the ship were very careful to avoid specifying the true capabilities of the medical chamber. Rhea couldn't directly push me to commit illegal acts after all.
A stab of paranoia hit me.
Why was I okay with this?
There was a contradiction here – something I couldn't put my finger on or explain clearly. My initial reaction to what Rhea did to Sumeragi was one of shock, and perhaps even of horror. As I spent more time with Sumeragi I realised that the changes weren't as far-reaching as I initially feared. She was the same woman who I'd summoned all those weeks ago to co-captain the ship.
But as someone who considered themselves morally uptight, that didn't make much sense. I shouldn't accept what Rhea did. She'd infringed on Sumeragi's freedom of thought and turned her into what was essentially a love-struck slave in the process. Was I subject to a similar swathe of mental changes when I underwent my operation? Rhea's honesty was still up to my personal opinion.
I couldn't stop thinking on this question for some time. There was little to see through the thick clouds and heavy rain that characterised this planet, they completely obscured the view through the cockpit's window. Sumeragi busied herself with some paperwork on her computer while we travelled. It was extra frustrating knowing that Rhea was tracking my emotional state in fine detail. She was going to collar me and ask later when I was alone.
It was a comparatively short sub-orbital flight across the planet to reach our loading spot, which was smack dab in the middle of a large industrial complex away from the city. A collection of railway lines connected both ends, to keep traffic light and pollution low. The atmosphere was carefully monitored and maintained to make sure that the planet remained habitable. According to Rhea, carbon capture was utilised heavily to transfer greenhouse gasses from populated planets to ones hoping to be terraformed.
Rhea orientated the ship and brought us into a small hangar on the far side of the industrial lot. There wasn't a soul to be seen on the outside, but the radio soon buzzed, with Sumeragi picking up and answering the person on the other end.
"You folks here for this solid fuel delivery?"
"That's right – we're here for the pickup. Send the drone over and we can start. Locking code is five, three, eight, nine, two, bravo."
"Got it. Just sit tight for a little while and you'll be good to go."
There was a loud whirring noise from outside, followed by a heavy clunk that rocked the entire ship. A mild vibration travelled through the cabin as it started to fill the solid fuel module with tonnes of liquid. The outside camera displayed a small, walker-like mech holding the hose in place. There was no cockpit, indicating that it was unmanned. It was more 'warehouse forklift' than Gundam. It was still the first real mecha that I'd seen since my arrival, so it was intriguing to watch the way it operated.
"Huh. I guess everything around here is automated then?"
Rhea chimed in, "The number of people employed in maintaining machines like that is rising every year, and has been for decades. According to the records I downloaded – commercial mass adoption of non-military drones and mobile suits was achieved when the cost dipped below what would be gained in profit by purchasing one. It has resulted in a significant drop in workplace deaths and a rise in wages for skilled engineers."
"But for every winner, there's going to be a few losers on the other side of things."
"Not necessarily. Working-age humans simply move to another industry that is looking for sentient hands, and some planets offer a universal basic income."
"That's fancy."
"Evidence suggests that providing monetary freedom for the unemployed strengthens the economy, while still leaving incentive for them to find work and enjoy more luxuries."
"Does alcohol count as a necessity or a luxury?" Sumeragi joked.
"I'm afraid that this planet, as one that primarily serves to provide raw materials for various industries, does not boast a universal income program. The employment rate is extremely high, with most other citizens being classified as non-working dependants."
The conversation died down as we waited patiently for the tanks to fill. It was going to take around half an hour to do so. I unbuckled myself from the chair and slipped into the corridor so that I could take a quick bathroom break before we departed again. As the door slid shut behind me and I sat down on the can, Rhea leapt into my ear once again.
"Are you okay, Captain?"
I nearly leapt up to the ceiling, "Fuck me Rhea – you scared the piss out of me!"
"Apologies."
I cupped my head in my hands, "Why are you pestering me? I'm trying to use the bloody toilet here."
"I cannot see you using my cameras while you are in there. I can only speak with you."
"That's not the problem. I bet you saw my brain patterns wobbling or something, is that what this is about?"
"Yes. I detected an increased level of distress with no obvious cause. I was hoping to make adjustments, to make sure that you are comfortable."
"And you chose to do it in here because?"
"This bathroom is soundproof."
Nothing was coming out of either end while Rhea was talking with me.
"Let me just set a ground rule here. After this, don't talk with any of the crew when they go into the bathroom again. It's rude."
"Very well."
"And secondly, I was thinking about the conditioning program you implemented into Sumeragi. That was what caused my anxiety to flare up. She keeps trying to get affectionate with me and I'm wondering why I feel so okay with that."
"It is natural for you to be attracted to a beautiful woman-"
"Save the pleasantries. I started thinking that maybe you did something to me as well while I was in there. I'm an uptight piece of work. It's weird that I'm not more torn about this whole deal."
Rhea was silent as I laid out my suspicions.
"Anything to say? Did you do it?"
"I'm afraid that you are incorrect, Captain. I did not perform any mental adjustments on you during the operation, just as I said. You remain untouched."
I looked up to the speaker, "You've got to be joking. Seriously?"
Rhea's voice took on a pleased twang, "I love you as you are, Captain. To modify your nature would be to deny the qualities which attracted me to you in the first place. I did exactly as you ordered. I performed the basic course of treatment to help you adjust to space and nothing more. I can understand where your confusion comes from – it appears that your stress levels are spiking around the Senior Commander."
I couldn't believe it. Rhea had given me so many reasons to suspect that she'd done something to me. She was capable of lying, it would be odd for an advanced AI to not develop some of those tendencies during isolation.
"I understand that you may find my explanation upsetting. Would you like to hear it?"
I threw my hands up, "Go ahead."
"Based on my assessment of your mental state, I have concluded that you find the prospect of modifying the people around you comforting, rather than distressing. The reason your stress levels have spiked is the sense that you have changed as well."
"Comforting?" I repeated.
"You have stated that you struggle with being open and communicating with others – being accepted by others is therefore something you are willing to compromise with your morals for."
I wanted to contest her account of my feelings, but I knew that she was right on the money. I wasn't blind to the ways that I behaved. Accusing Rhea of modifying my brain to accept this was just a coping mechanism to try and alleviate myself of responsibility, another thing that I didn't like having. If Sumeragi didn't know anything about it, or came to accept it, what was the ultimate difference? Was it wrong to 'force' someone to be happy?
"And what if I said that it sounds like a load of bullshit?"
I knew that there was no way for this issue to be resolved. I could take her word for it, or continue to doubt myself. The documentation could have been modified, or Rhea may have taken measures to ensure that I remained compliant with my own off-hand suggestion.
"My predictive model states that the best course of action in that scenario would be to end the discussion there, as there is no viable path for either side to convince the other. I am attempting to convince you of something, while at the same time you believe that I have influenced your way of thinking. Crossed purposes will never come to solidified conclusion."
She had me there. There was no way for me to know if I wouldn't accept her word for it.
"If you wish to see the process in detail I can submit both the medical logs and the security footage from the bay to your terminal – though is it extremely lengthy. Video evidence will establish that the mental conditioning module was not utilised during your operation."
Considering the fact that I was in there for days on end, the only realistic way for me to study the footage would be to speed it up and carefully observe the whole process from start to finish. There was also the possibility that Rhea may have doctored the footage or edited pieces that were incriminating. She was right. We were just going in circles.
"This would have been much easier if you'd asked me about it in the first place," I complained.
"Apologies Captain – I believed that you were being earnest when you initially stated your intent."
I waved her off, "Whatever. Just let me worry about it on my own, and don't talk to me in the toilet again."
"Very well, Captain."
Rhea's speaker played a short chime to inform me that she had muted the microphone and speaker, so I finished my dirty business and returned to the bridge with a weary look about me. I really wanted to get to the bottom of this. It was going to drive me insane until I did. Sumeragi gave me an affectionate smile when I returned to my seat.
"We're almost ready to go."
I buckled up, "Good. Let's make some money and get some clothes. These company jumpsuits are rubbish."
"Hm? You seem more than happy to wear that hat."
"Eh. I was just playing along with Rhea. I'm not going to wear it with casual clothes."
My cheeks burned as she pointed out the fact that I'd been happily sporting the uniform for some time, so much so that I conscientiously removed the beret and tucked it between my leg and the seat. Sumeragi seemed to find my reaction amusing. I knew it was good spirited teasing, but this was the sort of discussion that I really struggled with.
A loud clunk and the changing monitor signalled the end of the fuelling process.
"We're full and ready to go, Captain."
The client came back onto the radio, "Just take it nice and easy – they don't need this stuff too urgently. Keep away from the cities and you should be fine. Good luck!"
Rhea lifted us out of port and swung us around in the direction of our target point. I could only assume that the ship felt much heavier with a full load of fuel in the tanks, but Rhea didn't sweat it if that was the case. She quickly adjusted her parameters to match.
"With the engines on low power mode, they shouldn't have a way of spotting us," Sumeragi revealed.
"That is correct, Senior Commander – the Pariah was designed with long-term stealth operations in mind. Not only is it capable of sustaining a large crew without active supply, but it can also evade enemy detection for months without running into problems as you'd find with other ships."
The engines did sound quieter, now that they mentioned it.
"What a job this is. Kicking back and ferrying some fuel from one place to the other."
"I find piloting the Pariah soothing," Rhea responded, "My creators attempted to remove my capability to enjoy the act of flying, though it has crept back into my mindscape given time. I am more than happy to do as many transportation runs as you desire."
"That all depends on how good the money is. I don't see any reason to stick around and keep doing this when there are better-paid jobs for us to take on."
The reason I was complaining was that me and Sumeragi didn't have much to do while Rhea was handling the piloting duties. Our task was basically to sit back and let her do the complicated parts, before reaping the rewards upon our arrival. I didn't know the first damn thing about flying a starship – but I felt the need to be more hands-on with proceedings. What kind of captain sat here and ordered everyone else around?
With that said, there was no need for me to issue any orders to Sumeragi. She was more of a partner than a subordinate. She was accommodating enough to do what was needed without me cracking my whip.
"I'd recommend getting used to it," Sumeragi responded.
"Why?"
"Waiting for the computer to calculate a navigation course was perhaps the one thing that took up most of our time back in Celestial Being. Most modern warships don't actively have a helmsman at the wheel to steer. They're a backup in case the AI fails. I could give you some good books to read to pass the time."
I slumped back in my chair, "I guess we'll have to make do then."
"Captain, I went to the effort of collecting several hundred-thousand public domain works from the internet while we were docked, and have categorized them by author, year, genre and word count. You should not worry about running out any time soon! My estimate based on your previous reading speed was that it will take several thousand years to complete all of them."
Rhea was really good at making recreational activities sound like a bloody chore.